


Karushuu Week 2016

by Midori_Hime



Category: Assassination Classroom
Genre: Karushuu Week, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-07-24 04:00:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7492995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midori_Hime/pseuds/Midori_Hime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on the prompts at the Karushuu week tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Together

High school was a challenge for most people. Academically, it wasn’t that difficult for Karma or Gakushuu. It wasn’t sports or any other extra curricular that caused them difficulties either. It was the gossip that followed them.

Asano was the son of a disgraced principal, who the media liked to report, was an alcoholic. He’d lost one of his original students since he hadn’t kept a close enough eye on him. He’d lost his job as a principal and board chairman at the school’s he’d created with his own money, his own knowledge, his own hands. He let a _monster_ hold a _class of children_ hostage; said children were the _punching bag of the entire school_ , all under Asano’s father’s orders.

There wasn’t a lot he could say or do about it. Some people pitied him (Kevin had contacted him, offering condolences and someone to talk to, which he was grateful for), but a lot of people didn’t want anything to do with him. The only way he could worm his way back into society’s good graces was to prove his own worth. It was the same way he always had, with excellent grades, an attitude that could charm anyone and the ability to outmanoeuvre anyone, making sure he got what he wanted and hit his goals every time.

Akabane was the same. He was the E Class reject who was now lording it over some of his former bullies all the way from A Class. He was the delinquent who could throw sharp words as fast as he could throw a knife. The student who was bullied by the entire school, the student who’s own parents barely spoke to him, who was taught by a monster, who wanted to _lead the country._

Akabane took it in his stride. He’d made some of the issues himself. Sure, they were challenging and a pain in his side, but the redhead had made his bed, now he needed to lie in it. He did the same as Asano, proving himself through his actions and ignoring all of those who just wanted to get some juicy gossip out of him.

—

It was third year before they told anyone they were dating. Well, before the media did. There was an uproar at school and at the ministry (Asano Gakuhou had thought the whole thing was hilarious - the genius duo were essentially both students of monsters, after all; perhaps it wasn’t a match made in heaven, but it was one of the most interesting matches he’d ever seen amongst his students).

Karasuma had told him to be careful while Irina offered extra lessons (which Karasuma quickly made her retract; “it was illegal when you were their teacher and the weight of the world was on their shoulders; it’s _beyond_ illegal now!”). Some of the class had been fine with it (Okuda especially; they’d always stayed on good terms, and Rio was looking forward to getting some embarrassing material on the devilish duo).

But some hadn’t been so happy. Karma had thought a block head like Terasaka might be against gays (he was bi, but honestly, people filled with hatred didn’t care about the distinction), but it turns out that he really just hated Asano. Sure, the class was grateful with how the Big Five had helped them at graduation, but that was years ago; one small act of kindness didn’t change more than a year’s worth of vicious bullying.

Most of the class felt the same way. “He’s up to something, Karma.” “We don’t want you to get hurt.” “You could do _so_ much better than that guy!”

Eventually, Karma had threatened not to talk to them anymore. He was _happy_ and Gakushuu had _never_ hurt him, physically, emotionally or anything else. The worse fight they’d had was over how to solve a _math equation_ for crying out loud! 3-E wasn’t happy, but they’d rather be unhappy with their friend rather than unhappy and worried about him.

On the other side, the Big Five weren’t impressed. Asano hadn’t let them start ranting before he shut them down. “I’m happy with Karma. We’ve been together close to three years. I may be able to find someone who is less of a brat than he is, but I wouldn’t be happy with them. Karma is smart, strong and interesting - he’s the only one who could possibly be my match. You either accept that and we move on, or you don’t and we part ways now.”

They’d given in. The couple was glad that the battle was over, but neither felt as though they’d won. Many nights were simply spent holding each other, whispering that things would ‘get better soon’, ‘they’ll come around’, ‘things will change eventually’. Perhaps it wasn’t a lie, but it definitely didn’t feel like the truth either.

—

Gakushuu would get frustrated with Karma on occasion. The redhead was a devil, even Satan had nothing on the brat. He didn’t ask a whole lot of the redhead (nor was he asked for much in return). He loved Karma, truly, he did, but sometimes he wishes the other was just a little bit more _tame_.

Wasabi in his coffee wasn’t pleasant. Having to apologise for the redhead’s insults to his friends was a pain. Getting the older boy to stop teasing their classmates or pulling pranks when he _knew better_ was not what he was in this relationship for.

At the same time, he knew he was hoping for the impossible. The moon would go back to being whole, the sun would stop shining, and the stars would fall from the heavens before Karma ever truly was tamed. He might pretend, every now and again, but he’d always be wild and conniving and _Karma_.

(Gakushuu couldn’t always help himself from not finding the devilish part of him endearing, not that he’d ever tell the other that.)

—

Sometimes, Karma wished Gakushuu was a little bit more like him. It was challenging, being with someone who put so much effort into appearances. All he wanted was for the other to be a bit more wild, a bit more fun, a bit more spontaneous.

He hated how Gakushuu put on airs at school, or around anyone who thought they were important. He hated how Gakushuu made him wear his uniform properly. Gakushuu tried to teach him proper etiquette, the type when you go to a formal dinner where there a forty different types of spoons - he hadn’t stuck around until the end of the lesson. 

Karma just wanted him to be a bit more _free_. He wasn’t here to be caged and didn’t want the other to be caged either. At the same time, he knew Gakushuu didn’t mind the rules, the rigmarole, the farce of polite society - it was an act he knew how to play, one he could play perfectly at that. It was a safety net, something nobody could find fault in. 

(Karma wouldn’t admit it, but sometimes he truly did admire Gakushuu for all those things and sometimes his breath would catch at how _flawless_ Gakushuu made himself appear.)

—

Work was difficult. They were both busy, with Gakushuu becoming an extremely successful entrepreneur, Karma had passed all of his government exams. They both worked long hours, sometimes it was days before they actually got to talk to each other. Gakushuu often went to work late, with Karma leaving long before he woke up, while Karma stayed later into the night as well (sometimes just sleeping at the office). It wasn’t that one worked any harder than the other; their roles were very different.

Asano already ran his own businesses (yes, plural), able to make his own rules and regulations, whereas Karma was still just a grunt in the grand scheme of things. They had far different expectations and job targets to work towards. Even then, on the days Gakushuu stayed late at work, working on some new idea (which had to be finished _now_ ) he made sure he stayed in a different room to the redhead when he came home, since the other was a notoriously light sleeper.

Weekends were the best for that reason. If they wanted to make a quick trip somewhere, they made the most of it, cramming in as much as possible with Karma taking an obnoxious amount of pictures. If they wanted to stay at home, they’d try to whittle their to do lists to nothing so they would have the time just to enjoy each other.

Things were tough and they were tired, but they were satisfied, following their dreams and _happy_. In the long run, it’d be worth it. They’d find ways to make things easier. They were the genius duo, after all, there wasn’t much the could phase them when they were junior high schoolers, let alone now. It wasn’t just that they’d gotten smarter, stronger, richer and better at making connections and blackmailing people.

Challenges were easy to beat now simply because they were together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Challenge  
> Just so you know Japanese teachers are very involved in their student’s lives. They’re expected to be at community events to ensure that any students there are behaving themselves. Even though the student had left his care, you can bet some people are still going to berate Papa Asano for not keeping an eye on him.  
> Goal was 1,500; total 1,500.


	2. Ink

It was cold.

That was the first thing he remembered. He recalls white, so maybe there was snow, but he’ll never know for sure.

The second thing was Irina. It was like she floated out of the white herself. Pale, blonde, big blue eyes, she was the the only source of warmth around, even though it looked like she was made out of winter itself. He clung to her, hearing her speak but not being able to make anything out.

The third thing was smell. There were pines trees and something crisp. Irina’s perfume, flowery and soft, spring trying to break through the seasonal barrier. Her shampoo, more flowers, more promise of warmth and something other than the biting cold.

She gently stroked his head, leading him away from the mess of the house behind him, his parents dead bodies, the mangled remains of the town. She blended in, all soft hues and soft curves, almost looking like she was a mirage; he stood out, a heavy black jacket, bulky and too big on his frame, piercing golden eyes and red hair that shined like a bloody beacon in the fog. Night and day, but they seemed to fit together. It was debatable whether they were heading to a better place, but for now, there was food and blankets, and that was all he needed.

—

He’d been 8, Irina was barely 15. Lovro had taken her in as a girl and she’d found him, begging the older man to let the redhead stay. He’d said they weren’t a charity, but Olga had gotten clucky, forcing his hand. So Karma had stayed, more of a burden to begin with than anything else, but as time passed, he was more than welcomed into the family.

Karma hadn’t shown much shock when he realised he’d been adopted into a yakuza clan. Perhaps the boy had still been in shock at the loss of everything he’d known, but he hadn’t made a fuss and had adapted quickly. He didn’t get underfoot (though he most certainly didn’t listen as often as he should have, leading to conflict between the boss and the brat) and learnt the ropes quickly. Lovro had agreed to let him stay - building a family from adults was always difficult; you never knew where they’d been or where’d they go. Children, on the other hand, was fresh, clean slates, easily dyed whatever colour the artist wanted them to be.

He was smart, good looking and devilish. A fast thinker, able to soothe people or infuriate them, Karma was able to convince people to do practically anything he wanted. Lovro hadn’t taken long to see his talent and eagerly looked forward to training him up properly. It wasn’t long before the boy was equal to Irina, much to her delight.

It was no surprised, considering the boy had been her training partner for practically every day since his rescue. He studied English, Russian, and French with her, as well as basic martial arts and gunmanship. They slept in the same room and Irina soothed away his night terrors, where white clawed at him until he was dragged into a pool of colour, so many of them mixed until the substance was black, thick and heavy. He bought her snacks when she was cramming for a mission or for one of Lovro’s random tests and tucked blankets around her when she fell asleep when she returned home late, unable to do anything but crash.

They were together day in, day out, having a bond closer than most siblings had. Within the family, they were a fearsome duo. Of course, they had to follow the rules, just like everyone else did, but they had Olga’s protection and Olga’s word was law. Even if Lovro wanted to punish them when they pushed boundaries, he had to get through _her_ first, and that was a dicey battle.

They pushed boundaries, learning the weaknesses and strengths of the rest of the family; Karma made sure to note which buttons to push - to quote Lovro, “any information is good information”. Lovro couldn’t get too mad - after all, they kept his family sharp and were improving their skills at the same time.

He was glad he’d allowed Irina to keep Karma. He hadn’t wanted the brat, another irritating mouth to feed and keep quiet once they released him, but the boy was a useful asset, made Olga happy, and was slowly clawing his way to the top of the family, eyes determinedly set on becoming heir to the throne. He was a brat, through and through, but one that electrified every surrounding he was in.

Unlike Irina, who travelled all over the world, seducing and killing the world’s most powerful men without a hitch, Karma was stuck in Japan, going to school. It was frustrating, but necessary. The schools of Kunugigaoka were tied to big money, interesting secrets and people with secrets they wanted to keep hidden. Lovro wanted access to all of that (and far more, but that wasn’t Karma’s business), so he needed a cat among the pigeons, and Karma was more than perfect for the job.

Karma’s cover story was believable. A boy genius who went a bit wild due to not having parental supervision. His parents were ‘day traders’, which wasn’t entirely a lie - Lovro traded people’s skills and abilities (among other things) by day, after all. He got to live alone with a comfortable lifestyle, a far cry of his first memory. (He’d never asked the full story, not finding it necessary to know - things were only what they were in the current moment, after all.)

Olga and Lovro took turns to check up on him every month or so. Olga spoiled him rotten, buying him whatever he wanted, while Lovro made sure his skills were still up scratch with every visit (every time the man left he was covered in bruises, absolutely exhausted, but it made him that much more determined in bettering himself; one day, he _would_ beat Lovro). Unfortunately Irina was much too busy nowadays, the duo rarely speaking due to the young woman’s various successes taking up all her time.

School was dull, he was head and shoulders above everyone, but Lovro didn’t want him to stick out, so he didn’t (well, apart from his bad attitude, but that didn’t count since Lovro wanted him to keep his physical skills in check). He was about to start his third year of junior high (well, he should have already started but he’d gotten himself suspended on Lovro’s orders which was super weird, but when the boss tells you to jump, you ask how high) and honestly couldn’t be more eager just to go to university (Lovro seemed to be collecting people with degrees at the moment, “any information is good information” after all). At least, when he’d graduated he could be Irina’s partner and get to go on _fun_ missions, rather than be stuck at home all the time.

-It’s time

A short message. It came through on his work phone, so it was Lovro. Sending back a simple ‘OK’, Karma waited for more instructions. When they came, he raised an eyebrow.

According to Lovro, the moon had been destroyed by a monster. It had caused world wide panic, and the clans of the world had gone nuts, folding to the strange new world they lived in or upping their aggressive attitudes, causing even more chaos for the world’s law enforcement agencies. Karma was being sent in to try and destroy the creature (Lovro said he’d get a 25% share of the bounty, how could he refuse?) along with E Class. _How convenient._

-If you can’t do it, I’ll send in reinforcement

Another message of confirmation. Eagerly, he awaited the visit to the Ministry. He took in details of his target, a strange yellow octopus thing with insane speeds and defensive abilities, ecstatic to _finally_ have an actual mission. A bit petty, but he was psyched to get something _much better_ than Irina had _ever_ received. And if he succeeded, he’d get better missions than her from now on too. _Bye bye information collecting! Hello mega bucks and mega fun!_

More than that, if he was successful, Karma would have practically locked in his spot at the top of the family. This E Class thing was just a variety of opportunities, waiting for him to take his pick. He had an _entire year_ , there was no way he wouldn’t succeed!

First day of class, he rocked up late. If he was going to kill the teacher he didn’t think following the rules mattered all too much (it matched his cover story and attitude in addition to giving him extra time to prep). He had a plan, he’d done his observations, made his notes. The redhead would make the first move, make a successful hit, maybe not _win_ , but it’d be a start. He greeted his new classmates with a smile, eager to start the assassination.

“Yo, Nagisa. It’s been a while.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Mafia  
> I’ve changed Mafia to Yakuza. Simply because it makes more sense and I know far more about the Yakuza than I do the Mafia. I was going to write this second, but then I started Trust and it’s also probably not very wise or appropriate to write about the Yakuza at work (writing fan fiction about gay angry nerds at work probably isn’t the best idea but I’ve had two classes all week and literally have nothing else to do so fight me).  
> I decided this will actually be a full blown fan fiction (fml I don’t have time for this). Not gonna be continued in KaruShuu week, but I’m on ‘holidays’ soon so maybe then?  
> Idk what this is tbh it isn’t what I intended lmao   
> Goal was 1,500; total is 1,509.


	3. Silence

Most people expected things to be more heated between them, as though they’d be doing nothing but competing with each other. If anything, the genius duo barely seemed to look at each other. They got to school (Asano was often at least half an hour early, whereas Akabane was barely on time), they went to class, cooperating when the teacher asked, not trying to speak over each other when they were answering, and went to club or off to study after school. A quiet, every day life.

Or so they thought.

What most people didn’t realise is that Akabane had changed over the break between junior high and high school. (How could he not? He’d helped end his teacher’s life and the media was trying to eat 3-E alive.) The media circus last year had given all of them more attention than they’d like. Of course, Karasuma and the Ministry did their best to keep irritating interviewers and trashy tabloids away from them, but there was only so much they could do. Not to mention there were numerous netizens who were out for a good story, happily hacking into whatever they could find.

It had come out that Karma planned to be a bureaucrat. Ever since then he’d kept things quieter than normal - it certainly wouldn’t help his future career if one of his classmates decided to blab about some prank he pulled or how he teased them. Of course, he’d done a lot of crazy shit in the past. That couldn’t be changed. But at the moment, that had been ignored (partly ‘boys will be boys’ and partly Irina threatening the shit out of anyone who threatened her ‘children’).

What people didn’t realise was that Karma was still the same. The attitude hadn’t changed, just the way it was expressed. Unfortunately for Asano, he had to deal with the brunt of it. Despite it being quite out of his way, Karma would walk home with Asano (and had invited himself in on the occasions Asano wasn’t fast enough to slam the door in his face). He often challenged the other to dumb competitions.

Sometimes those were official, like seeing who could beat more records (not just win, because that was dull) at the sports festival. Of course, they were still in competition to be the number one student (Karma was still beating Asano at ethics but Asano had been groomed to be business leader in the future so had that as an edge over Karma). Both were ignoring the main five subjects, as they’d done nothing but tie in all tests so far.

Others were just whatever Karma could come up with at the time. “Can you hop all the way home? I bet I could.”  
“I bet you could do a lot of dumb things Akabane. Don’t drag me down to your level of immaturity.”  
“Could you beat me at karaoke? I’m pretty sure I could get a higher score than you.”  
“I’m not going to karaoke with you.”  
“How about the arcade? You’re such a stick in the mud, I bet you’ve never even _heard_ of half the games there!”  
“Would you go home already?!”

This went on until summer vacation. Gakushuu had been looking forward to the holidays like he never had before. _Finally, peace and quiet._ That had been his original thought, until the doorbell wouldn’t stop ringing and Akabane threw rocks at his window until he rolled out of bed. He took his sweet time getting ready (by which time his father had come home and let the devil in). Before the redhead could speak, Asano challenged him.

“I’m challenging you to a competition to see who can stay quiet the longest.”  
“That’s boring.”  
“I could get the police to check the damage to the window. I’m sure there’s a scratch or two now. I’d hate to see what it’s like when they got here.” Karma didn’t miss the threat in Asano’s tone. He didn’t miss the implications of what it would look like for a former delinquent/student of a monster/future bureaucrat to have damaged a classmate and former principal’s house after following him home for weeks.

Huffing, he agreed. Asano did homework while Akabane played a game of some sort. When he was done, Asano clicked his fingers twice. He wasn’t sure when or how it had started, but it had become his symbol that he declared the competition over. (Amusingly, it turned out Akabane couldn’t click, so the redhead let out a low whistle when he was done. Well, he was _meant_ to, that’s what they _agreed on_ , but generally Karma just jabbed him in the rubs with a shit eating grin.)

They had lunch in the kitchen, with the former principal joining them. Karma was rude and obnoxious, but he also listened to everything the older man had to say. His father might have been more than slightly nuts, but he was a genius and, until the whole monster teacher thing, beyond successful. Karma recognised that as much as the next person, more so, even. Despite the fact that his father was disgraced, he’d still be a very powerful and (perhaps more importantly) a very rich ally - the perfect person for a future bureaucrat to align himself with. (Asano would never admit that he was more than slightly frustrated that his father would be a better ally to the redhead than he currently was - not that he cared about Akabane or anything, but it just meant his father was another obstacle, just something else Asano needed to overcome in order to be more than good.)

Asano made it clear that he wanted Akabane to leave. Akabane understood but waltzed back to his room anyway. Groaning, he followed the other boy, listening to his father chuckle.

“What?”  
“Another competition.”  
“No.”  
“It’s an extension of yours.”  
Asano _hated_ Akabane’s ability to play him without effort. Sighing,he asked, “What is it?”  
“Who can stay silent the longest.”  
“That’s not an extension, that’s just round two.”  
“I’m not finished, Second Place.” Asano rolled his eyes, gesturing for him to hurry the fuck up so they could get this over with and he could have his peace and quiet back.

Karma had been sitting at his desk, forcing Asano to sit on the bed. Now he decided to sit as close as possible to the taller boy without touching him. Gakushuu would not admit to being uncomfortable, but he was definitely on his guard now.

“The loser has to do whatever the winner says for the rest of the holidays. Deal?” Asano already knew he’d only be asking Akabane to stay the hell away from him, but wondered what crazy ideas the devil next to him was thinking. He hated Akabane’s eyes - they made him _so difficult_ to read.  
“Not until I know how your challenge is different to mine.”  
Karma grinned and Gakushuu was worried this time. “It’s just a little something we learnt in 3-E. All you gotta do is keep your cool and not make a sound. Stealth is key, you know?”  
“You’re avoiding the subject.”  
“Oh, I’m not. I’m just taking my time.” The devil leant closer. “Plus, it’s much easier to _show_ you what I mean.”

With that, he grabbed Asano’s shirt collar with one hand and the back of his neck with the other. If this wasn’t a practice round (and it damn well _was_ because Asano had _no idea_ what was coming for him) then he would have lost. The sound that escaped him was between a squeak and a grunt. He felt Karma smirk against his lips.

Next minute there was a tongue and Akabane’s hand was pulling lightly at his hair. Asano move his own hands to touch the other boy, feeling a shiver as he did so. Tongues touched, hands moved, air became scare.

Karma pulled away, red smattering his cheeks and his eyes slightly hooded. Asano wasn’t much better, with tousled hair and laboured breathing.  
“Well, Second Place? Seem like an interesting challenge?”

Asano didn’t answer in words. His forwardness cost Karma the first round, but he gained it back in the second. This went back and forth. Asano lost count soon enough, but really, would it matter if he lost? (Especially now that he thought the devil might have had… more interesting ideas in mind than he had originally thought.) The sun had been down for hours when his father burst in without knocking to tell them they needed to eat something, before quickly retreating out, shaking his head, muttering at what he’d seen.

Gakushuu pulled back first. The redhead was beneath him now, hair appearing to be even more vibrant against the stark white of his pillow. His lips were swollen and his face flushed. Asano was damn proud of his work. He knew he was probably in a similar state but that didn’t matter right now.

“Should we call that a tie?”  
“I don’t think so. I _clearly_ won.” Asano wasn’t going to argue. Rolling his eyes, he dragged the other off the bed, heading to the kitchen. Pausing, he turned to look at his classm- his _boyfriend._  
“The fuck were you learning that in class for?” Karma just laughed, entwining their hands.  
“Maybe when you beat me I’ll tell you~”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Competition  
> Started writing this second (after I gave up on trust lol).  
> Goal: 1,500; total 1,554.


	4. Exercise

Trust was a very fickle thing. One minute you could have it, the next it was gone. Sometimes you were lucky. Maybe you just dropped it; pick it up, dust it off, everything’s as good as new. But sometimes it broke. There was no coming back from that. Sure, you could stick it together, but it would never be the same. It would bear scars, ugly, raised, obvious.

Children trusted easily. Adults tended to be a bit more jaded, but you’d always find some people who would trust anyone and end up in the shit for it, and then do the same thing the week after. Some people you practically needed to go to war for to get them to trust you.

Asano Gakushuu, to surprising belief, was not one of those people. He trusted in skills, abilities and previous work. You’d already proven yourself to a degree, so if you performed as you previously did, that was ground enough for some trust. (The rest of his trust was placed in himself; he wouldn’t sugar coat it - chances are he was smarter, stronger and just all around better than anyone he spoke to, so why trust others to do the job right when he knows he can do it himself?)

On the other hand, Akabane Karma was a person you needed to jump through hoops for to even get him to considering trusting you. It wasn’t shocking really. His parents dumped him, his teacher disowned him, everyone thought he was a crazy, violent lunatic and his last decent teacher was dubbed the monster who blew up the moon and abandoned his students (well, ‘let himself be murdered by them’ was the correct explanation, but he had a feeling Karma saw it differently). He’d had a rough time of things. His trust in others, and their ability to stick around, had been damaged. It was pretty obvious, like a paper screen door being taped up. It didn’t matter if you covered the damage with cut outs of cute animals or stars, the damage could never be taken back and the wounds, no matter how smoothly covered, would always show.

They did a trust exercise at school. Asano and Akabane, paired together. Everyone thought they wouldn’t trust each other and eagerly waited for one to fall, one to throw the first insult, the fight to start.

Akabane caught him without a problem. Asano trusted him. Sure, he could be the world’s most selfish devil at times, but he (mostly) knew the time and place for his irritating behaviour. They were rivals, but that made sure they wouldn’t sabotage each other in class - that would ruin the fun.

Asano caught Akabane. The boy was lighter than him, but he was completely tense when he hit Asano’s hands. He felt like a rock and Asano was slightly offended. Akabane went through the motions of trusting him, but his body betrayed his mind. Their trust was a one way street and Asano wasn’t sure what he could do to change that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Trust  
> Not sure if I made the paper door thing clear. There’s an episode in Fruits Basket where they patch up the door with cute things.   
> Started writing this as the second but it got difficult lmao. Goal: 1,500; total 506 (I’ve been writing all day and I’m tired af) (I’ll probably come back and make this longer at some point or another)


	5. Touch

Karma honestly wondered how Asano could do it. Everyone else complained of the heat and were constantly dabbing at their faces and necks with towels, even the teachers weren’t immune, putting the aircon on in the staff room the minute classes started. Even with AC (he’d never been more thankful to attend a private school) it was still ridiculously hot. He felt for Nagisa and the others, stuck with an ancient fan or two for the entire class. _Summer is the worst._

Asano, however, kept his cool. Karma was almost convinced the other boy was a robot of some sort. Despite day after day of intense heat, he’d never even seen a bead of sweat on the other boy (not that he’d been looking too closely or anything). Even Karma was irritated with the heat, changing into the summer uniform earlier than he usually would and throwing water on himself when he could.

It was a particularly hot day, Friday, 6th period. Exams had come and gone, they were reviewing, preparing for the next term. Karma was bored, already knowing everything from this term backwards and forwards, and already three weeks into studying for the next term.

Lazily, his eyes drifted to Asano, sitting next to the window, looking as bored as he was. His eyes were half shut and there was a _tap, tap, tap_ as he flicked his pencil on the desk. It was slightly irritating, but it’s not like the redhead was listening to the teacher, so whinging about a distraction was pointless.

Karma’s eyes widened when Asano leaned back, pulling at his shirt collar lightly, _one two three four five times,_ trying to generate some air flow. A sharp collarbone and smooth skin. Karma was 100% awake and 100% confused. Turning away, he tried to find another student to study, but they were boring and dull.

(He ignored the thought: _they aren’t Asano._ )

He watched movies from the moment he got home until 5am the next day before passing out. Despite his best efforts, he’d been unable to get the image of the singular bead of sweat trailing down Asano’s neck, stopping on the collarbone, out of his mind.

—

Much like junior high, the class with the highest grades was allowed to go on a trip. Unlike junior high, the trip was available to all three year levels, rather than just the third years. Needless to say, A Class had absolutely dominated the rest of the year level - it wasn’t even an unfair playing field, it was two completely different games. With the Five Virtuosos and Karma, there was really no question about which first year class would be going. Half the class was packed as soon as exams were over. Laughing, they thanked the “Big Six” for the free holiday as soon as the exams were finished (Karma and the Big Five _hated_ the name and made sure everyone knew it, but the student body had unanimously decided Karma was part of the elite group and weren’t changing their stance).

Karma was a bit disappointed they were going to Okinawa again, but it wouldn’t hurt to see the area without the threat of death or the burden of killing his teacher hanging over his head. The resort was much fancier than the one E Class had stayed at, which was a nice plus. The students were paired two to a room; he groaned when he was paired with Asano (he stomped on any weird and inappropriate thoughts he may have had - _no thank you, not today!_ ). He tried to swap rooms but the teachers had got onto him real quick, making sure he, and everyone else knew that swapping rooms would be worth a week of detention _per night_.

He was stuck in the same room as _Asano_ for an entire _week._ He prayed to whatever god was listening for help, or at least the strength not to  jump _kill_ the orange haired nerd in his sleep.

—

For the most part the students were allowed to do their own thing, provided they gave the teachers detailed plans of their itinerary. Karma stuck with the Big Five, though when he snuck off to do his own thing, they didn’t snitch. As long as he kept out of trouble, nobody needed to know that he wasn’t with them the entire day. As long as they took enough photos with them as a group (Karma did his best to not stand next to Asano, but somehow always failed) then nobody would figure out they barely hung out together.

One exception was the aquarium. It was on the last day, so everyone needed to go together as they’d be heading to the airport straight after. Again, he was partnered with the Big Five (he refused to say ‘the Big Six were a group’ - they all did, but the student’s stopped listening long ago and the staff didn’t listen either). Asano and Koyama led the group - the super nerd and the biology nerd. Karma and Ren hung out at the back - the duo didn’t particularly care for each other, but Karma covered when Ren was dashing off to give a girl his number and Ren was happy to take photos of Karma doing dumb poses with the giant shark jaw (Asano had said that was childish and refused to wait, but Ren had known Karma would be stubborn - “it’ll be quicker if I help, so let’s hurry, alright?”).

Somehow, by the end of the day, when they were standing by the glass, completely dwarfed by the exhibit, Karma had ended up standing at Asano’s side. They stood in silence, watching the fish swim by, without a care in the world. Their hands brushed, lightly, by accident, just as the teacher called for them to go. Karma had started, but Asano hadn’t reacted at all, turning around as though he hadn’t been shocked by lightning. Karma followed, slightly dazed, heart racing.

Karma didn’t sleep that night either.

—

It was their second summer as high school students. Needless to say, Class 2-A had won the holiday again. (Everyone knew they would do the same next year.) By now, Asano had given up fighting the “Big Six” term. Akabane was officially one of them now, whether he liked it or not (by ‘he’, Asano wasn’t sure if he meant Akabane or himself, but figured it didn’t matter that much anyway).

They’d postponed their trip, waiting until the middle of the holidays. He’d kept himself busy with revision and preparation until then. Karma had done the same, both of them sitting in the library, pouring over books and other study materials. He’d been irritated the first few times Akabane had fallen asleep but didn’t press the issue. _If his grades drop, he’s out of the group and we’re back to five. If he keeps his grades up, there’s no harm in him sleeping._

Asano wasn’t quite sure when he’d started to get soft on people’s studying policies (he’d yelled at a girl the other day for not trying harder and Ren had pointed out later, quietly, in private, that he didn’t yell at Akabane when the redhead was slack, so he’d tried to be a little less uptight about the issue, not because he thought other people would figure that out or anything (they most likely wouldn’t)) but he figured it was around the time that he’d started calling the other by his first name in his head.

He figured that was around the time he’d watched the other sleep. It was almost 7pm, the library was going to shut. The redhead had been dozing for a while. It was the first time Asano had actually _observed_ him, rather than just taking note that the other was napping. The taller of the two (by less than a centimetre but _yes_ he would damn well count it and take what little victories he could) watched the soft rise and fall of Karma’s shoulders and the way his eyelashes fluttered and how his breath would ruffle his overly long bangs (he’d been saying he’d get them cut for _months_ ) and -

Asano stopped himself. Frustrated and flustered, he packed his things up as quickly as possible. Seeing the librarian start to shoo people out, he hit Akabane’s desk as he went past to startle the other into the land of the living. He heard a drowsy ‘huh?’ as the other woke and his mind created other images of the other, waking not in the library, but his bed and -

_Enough!_ Storming out of the coolness of the library he headed out into the muggy air, walking home as fast as he could, hoping he could leave those thoughts behind with the boy who made them.

—

They had decided on Hiroshima this time. The Big Six was a group again. Karma stayed with them more than he did last time. They checked out the Peace Museum and other associated monuments on their first day. The next day was spent looking at more modern touristy spots.

Being in the middle of high school, their trip was a shorter one. After all, this was when they needed to start getting serious. Of course, rewards were necessary, but they needed to be proportionate (and at a school that expected incredible academic results, rewarding students for doing the minimum wasn’t an option). The next day was the last full one before they would return home (Karma had sat next to him on the journey down; his throat had felt tight and he’d babbled on about anything and everything, making uncharacteristic small talk, hating himself every time he opened his stupid mouth; despite that, he was somewhat bitter that Ren would be next to him on the way home).

—

Their last full day was at Miyajima. Karma had said something to him on the ferry over, but he hadn’t been able to respond. The ferry was relatively quiet, but the noise of the water hitting the boat, the squealing children pointing at things and the fact that Karma (he was using his name far too often now; Ren had laughed when he said it out loud, just when they were talking - “you’re in way too deep, Asano”) had been laughing as he talked didn’t help matters.

But Karma had wanted an answer. Moving closer, he tried to say it again. Asano never found out what it was. A rough wave knocked Karma into him, the redhead’s lips touching his ear. He was sure he went redder than the other’s hair; if that hadn’t done it, the light ‘sorry’ in his ear, lips still _way to close for comfort_ , definitely did.

Sensei came by, rounding everyone up so they could exit together. Asano had never been more grateful for teacher interference. Karma followed behind, acting like nothing had happened, while Asano was almost positive that everyone else on the ferry could hear his heart pounding.

The day was spent hiking the mountain (it wasn’t just the girls who whinged about the heat and wanting to take the ropeway; Sensei said it was ‘character development’) and looking into the small island’s culture, tradition and history. Ren and Karma had enjoyed the shrines (Asano had kept trying to get Karma’s attention, but to no avail; he ‘accidentally’ tripped Ren for the intrusion later, much to the brunette’s amusement and everyone else’s confusion).

Later, when they were heading to the hotel to get dinner and refresh themselves before the fireworks, they were cornered by some deer. They’d encountered many throughout the day, but they’d kept walking, being on a tight schedule. Asano couldn’t help but smile and take a photo - Karma was furious, blushing red, but his only response was laughter. Frightened was perhaps not the correct word, but Akabane Karma was definitely not comfortable around the creatures, a light mix of irritation and panic showing on his face.

Coming to his rescue, Asano steered his classmate out of the circle of deer, pushing the creature’s faces as they kept trying to bite and nibble the redhead. “Delete that photo, right now!” Akabane didn’t waste any time with his demands.

Laughing again, Asano responded, elated at the photographic evidence of his crush ( _yes_ , he was admitting that now) looking adorable but also that he’d been able to wind his arm around the other (and hadn’t yet removed it) without complaint. “No~”

Akabane tried to steal his phone, but Asano had already sent the photo to his email address, his emergency phone and saved it on his line account. He didn’t tell Karma though - the redhead was rather… physical, in trying to get the device, much to his delight. The sky was dark as they headed out to board a little boat, Karma sticking by his side, trying to be stealthy and sneaky.

When the fireworks started, he took another photo. Most were taking photos of the crowds on the shore or in other boats, or the scenery being lit up by the variety of colours bursting in the sky, or of the fireworks themselves. That’s what Karma was doing.

Well, he was, until Asano took his photo. Karma had looked confused, but Asano just shook his head with a smile. Perhaps he’d make up a lie if Karma asked why he took his photo (“for the school album, why else?”) or perhaps he’d be honest, but he didn’t quite think he could get those words out, not just yet.

_One day._

—

The air felt different this year. It was their final summer as high school students; the first years and second years still laughed, lighthearted, but the third years felt something different. It was… somewhat heavy, depressing, but kind of nostalgic at the same time. The teacher’s kept pressing the finality of these holidays on them, and Karma felt a pang of sadness that Koro Sensei wasn’t the one giving him this talk.

After this, summer holidays would be practically non-existent. Sure, there would be holidays at university, but that would be time spent catching up on many hours of lost sleep, revising and trying to get a head start on the next term. And after that, the work force. God knew what Asano was planning on doing, but it was probably something dull, all work and no play, so he doubted the other would be getting much time off in the summer. If he was going to be a bureaucrat, there certainly wouldn’t be time to laze about, and what time he did have would probably go to catching up with E Class.

3-A had won the holiday for third year classes. The fact that Akabane and Asano achieved 100% in everything was old news to everyone (an expectation at this point in time); the fact that Sakakibara had got a 98% in everything was far more interesting. Ren led the planning for the trip; Asano had done it in their first year and Akabane had been pressured into doing it last year. Neither particularly wanted to do it again, but Ren enjoyed the attention.

The previous leaders sat at the back of the room. A girl whispered to her friend, “Don’t you think they’re sitting _real_ ly close?”. Her friend glanced back at them, turning away quickly when Karma locked eyes with her, eyebrow raised, daring her to make something of it. (He honestly wasn’t sure if they were close or not. He felt like any measurement system got warped when Asano was close to him; time felt like it was sped up but he experienced everything in slow motion, if Asano was close it still felt like there was a distance between them, every word the other said sounded ultra loud to him, as though it was flowing through his blood, even though he realistically knew the other was whispering, something for them alone to hear.)

Speaking of which…. Asano gave a low chuckle. “We could be closer than we are… Should we show them how?”

Ren started the meeting, ignoring Karma’s impression of a tomato and Asano scooting as close to the other as he could without dragging the other to sit on him.

—

A weekend was all they got as third years. This wasn’t the time to muck around. A Class had consistently hit goal after goal, and thanks to the Big Six, had smashed the goals into pieces. To expect anything less than first place by a landslide would be insulting. The school was of the opinion that rewarding them further would just be rewarding them for expected behaviour, which was not acceptable. So they’d leave from school on the Friday, enjoy Mount Fuji and the surrounding area on the Saturday, be reenergised at Fuji Q Highland on Sunday and then head back on Monday morning.

Asano didn’t particularly enjoy the trip to Fuji. Sure, it was a nice mountain, satisfyingly symmetrical, and the area around it was beautiful and natural and refreshing. By now, it was common for Karma and him to lead the group. Karma didn’t complain when he took pictures of him anymore (he wasn’t sure if the other understood _why_ he took pictures, but the redhead didn’t question him, and had tried to turn the tables by taking photos of Asano in return - this only served to boost his ego, knowing Akabane had more photos of him than he did of some of his other friends).

Karma was meant to sleep next to him, but he woke in the middle of the night to see the other was watching the still healing moon, leaning against the window. Asano didn’t disturb him. He’d slowly been dragging secrets and information about the boy, but he knew when to leave it be. Karma had confessed last winter - “we made our first _real_ assassination attempt when we went to Okinawa”. Summer holidays were strange for all of E Class for that reason.

He often thought he had a lot of time, but school was coming to an end. If he was going to get the full story of ‘the monster who blew up the moon’, if he was going to get Karma, he needed to move fast. A lot could happen in a year, after all.

—

The trip to Fuji Q Highland was much more interesting. Karma found Mt Fuji refreshing, but it wasn’t his cup of tea.

They spent the day on the roller coasters, making themselves sick before stuffing themselves at lunch. They checked out the themed exhibitions for Evangelion and Gundam. Nobody had a particular interest in anime or mecha, but none of them were planning to come back either, so they figured they’d check it out while they were there.

The last item on the day was the Haunted Hospital. Ren was the planner, the trip leader, so he needed to check things off - the rest of their group waited for him. At the last minute, Karma decided that he and Asano would go together. “After all, it makes sense not to be last. He’ll be doing paperwork forever otherwise. If we go last, he’ll have a bit more time to do things.”

It was a weak excuse. He stumbled over the words. Seo raised an eyebrow, “Sure this isn’t just a date?” An awkward moment fell over them. “Who knows?” He tried to laugh it off, but the damage was done. The other four had gone on ahead without any more complaints.

“Strange place for a date.”  
“Shut up.”  
“It fits. Neither of us are regular people.”

His tone wasn’t malicious. Asano was smiling, not smirking. Karma didn’t respond. So they waited for their turn in silence, Asano standing close enough that their hands brushed with almost every breath they took. “You should call me Gakushuu. I’ve been calling you Karma in my head for the longest time, you know?”

This time Karma didn’t get a chance to respond, the attendant ushering them through. Karma had faced down unfair exams, an infinite amount of bullies, assassins and the weird as fuck results that came from experimenting on humans, but the hour in that hospital was quite possibly the most daunting thing he’d ever faced. The fact that it was a legitimately abandoned hospital, with everything left as it was made it eerie enough, but add in the appeal and terror of a Japanese haunted house and the hair on his arms was on edge as soon as they stepped in the first room.

Asa- Gakushuu said it lightly, trying to sound like he was joking when he was serious (Karma knew all of his tones _so well_ now), “You can hold my hand if you’re scared”. Karma decided to take him up on the offer, but refused to meet the other’s gaze when he whipped around, looking like a deer caught in the head lights.

Asano had squealed at one point, making him laugh until something slimy touched the back of his neck. At one point the taller boy dragged him out a room with a strange, howling sound - Karma was convinced it was the wind, but Gakushuu wasn’t going to stay and find out. They ran the last 100 meters or so, desperate to get the hell out of there.

When they hit fresh air, they could hear crying. For a moment, Karma thought they were still in the hospital (an extra room? You think you’re safe but you’re not?) but it was just a group of girl’s who still weren’t over the ordeal (a guy was coming back from the bathroom, looking like he’d left his lunch behind). They headed over to the rest of the Big Six, Ren madly jotting things down.

He looked up, smirking. “Enjoy your date?” Karma huffed, feeling heat replace the chill he’d been feeling in the hospital, while Gakushuu just held their still joined hands up.

_Perhaps summer really isn’t so bad._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Summer  
> First one written. I started writing them in the way they were presented in the voting list. Then I tried following the ‘correct’ order, so it’s a bit of both and just a mess tbh.  
> Most schools in Japan don’t have AC. Most are lucky to have a standing fan (senpuuki) or two in the classroom (some of my classes have had none haha please kill me). At one of my schools the AC only goes in the staff room after classes end for the day and at the other school its pretty much the same (except for yesterday when everyone was in a good mood and we convinced the vice principal it was super necessary lol)  
> The thing is that Japan is no hotter than any other country (most days it’s about 30-34 degrees Celsius). It’s the humidity that is the problem. We have around 70-80% every day where I am.  
> I’ve never been to Okinawa, so do forgive me if some of the info is wrong. To get an idea of the size, please just google Okinawa Aquarium - its one of the largest in the world.  
> Deer are feral and I hate them. One stole my lunch from me at Hiroshima and I didn’t have any more money for food T.T Fuji Q is a theme park near Mt Fuji. The haunted hospital is apparently one of the best and biggest in the world. I don’t know how many people can go in at once, but when I went to a Haunted House in Kyoto it was 4 at a time. I’ve never been to Fuji Q so I’m making up some of the details (my friend went twice and said it’s terrifying as all hell).  
> Goal was 1,500; total 3,646.


	6. Tsuyu

The rain fell steadily on his umbrella, splashing onto the ground and forming puddles on the pavement. It was the rainy season, so students just had to get used to being soaked by the time they got to school, or ending the day looking like a drowned rat. Asano didn’t mind so much. People were less inclined to slow him down on the way to school and were desperate to leave and go home as soon as possible instead of bugging him afterwards.

Most were rather downtrodden when there was nothing but rain for days on end, but Akabane seemed to thrive on the miserable weather. Asano snorted, figuring that _of course_ the redhead would love the type of weather that inconveniences people, that forces plans to be changed at the last minute, that can change from a drizzle to a storm without notice. When asked why, the redhead would shrug and smile, saying he liked the smell, the crispness, the freshness of things after a downpour.

Perhaps it didn’t make sense to others, but Asano could see it. For people like them, who constantly erred on the line between lawful and unlawful, a reset button was necessary. For Akabane, the rain was his reset. No matter what stunt he pulled, what pain he felt, how bad he fucked up, the rain would wash it away. It wasn’t as simple as saying that everything was over with; rain caused things to drown, to grow, to thrive. Likewise, Akabane couldn’t wash everything away, but it was a pause, to lock those things away and come back to them later, one box at a time, when he was in a better frame of mind.

When Asano saw him walking home without an umbrella, he let the redhead be. A slight nod and smile. Karma returned them, happily making his way through the rain, clothes growing heavier, sticking to his skin, without a care in the world. One day, he would get the truth out of Akabane and figure out what he was trying to wash away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Rain  
> Idk what this is either. I’m too tired to care. I’m writing these all in one day since I’m already a few days behind and I’m busy for the next few so…  
> Goal: 1,500; total was 344


	7. Birthday

Karma was drunk. Karma was very, _very_ drunk. It was Christmas, it was his birthday (20! Irina and Karasuma were both slightly shocked he managed it without a criminal record) and, in all fairness, it’d been a shitty, _shitty_ year, so he figured he’d start the New Year’s Party now. Isogai was still in the club (presumably so they wouldn’t die of alcohol poisoning) but Nagisa hadn’t been able to hack it so Sugino had taken him home (the redhead vaguely remembered the blue hair man getting teary over something that happened in junior high but he either can’t remember _what_ or Nagisa was slurring too much to make it out. Or both. Probably both.). Maehara was trying to help Okajima get laid. (Despite the player’s best efforts, things were still not going well.)

Kayano hadn’t come - she had work tomorrow, but she’d sent a card to Okuda so she could pass it on: “Here’s some money to enjoy yourself with. You’ll probably embarrass yourself, but try not to embarrass the rest of us, alright? Happy Birthday.” Considering it was a nice number of notes, the redhead decided he wouldn’t call her anything rude.

Most of the class had gone, but Rio was still trying to pour drinks down his throat. (He’d stopped calling her Nakamura after they’d become drinking buddies (he most certainly had not waited until he hit 20 but had hidden that fact _very_ well - even Isogai didn’t know and he could smell Karma’s brand of trouble a mile away!) and helped each other sober up one too many times when they were in a rush for an interview or had an exam or something where they _should have known better_ , according to Kataoka.)Itona wasn’t much of a drinker, but he did enjoy the mess other people made of themselves, and Karma was being excellent entertainment. Hazama stuck around too, mostly just watching and keeping Terasaka and the rest of their gang informed of the shenanigans.

“Karmaaaaa,” Rio might have been gleefully telling him he was off his face, but she wasn’t exactly sober either, “you need to get yourself someone.”  
“For what?”  
“He has a hand.” Karma and Hazama laughed while Rio rolled her eyes. She kept on, harassing him for the next hour.

“Get Maehara to help! He’ll have more success with you than Okajima! Then we can mock Okajima - two cats with one stone!”  
“Cats?”  
“Birds? Cats? They’re all the same really.” Hazama decided to interrupt.  
“Okajima already left with someone. Big boobs and all. Maehara left not too long after. Looks like the birthday boy’s on his own.”

Eventually, Karma gave in to Rio’s harassment (mostly because she was threatening not to buy him any more drinks and refusing to let him crash on her couch). “Fine! I’ll grab the next person who walks in the door!”  
“And do what?”  
Karma grinned, raising his eyebrows. “Ara~? Did Sensei not give you the talk, Rio?”

Unfortunately for Karma, that person just had to be Asano Gakushuu.

Rio practically squealed with delight, while Hazama took a snapshot of Karma’s horrified face. Itona went to go ‘get Isogai’ (they later found out that Itona had told Isogai the other three had ditched him so they should just go home; Karma was still slightly pissed that Isogai bought that bullshit). Despite the disappointment, Karma was a man of his word (mostly; and by mostly it meant when other people knew what his word actually was). He’d never get this past Rio without having to go to hell and back, so it was better just to try. The idea was for Asano to reject him so Karma could whine to his friends that Asano was a bully and he could drink some more and they could forget it and go home.

“I’m gonna fuck you so hard!” _And rejection in 3, 2, 1…_

Unfortunately for Karma, Asano is a dickhead and doesn’t follow the rules.

Before he knew it, Karma was out the door in Asano’s car, speeding off to the fancy part of town in a car he’d kill to drive. Rio and Hazama could only watch as Karma was whisked away, equal parts shocked, interested and amused. Rio sent Karma a message.

_Have fun, birthday boy!_

The blonde didn’t receive a response.

—

The next morning he didn’t remember anything. All he knew was that he was _meant_ to wake up on Rio’s couch. He’d already left a bottle of water and some pills on the coffee table, knowing he’d have a bitch of a headache when he woke up. Groaning, he mumbled, “Rio, if this is your shit idea of a prank, you win. Where the fuck are my pills?”

“My, my, aren’t we cranky in the mornings?”

Karma froze. That was clearly not Rio. Rio didn’t have a boyfriend either (he was actually pretty sure she was looking in the other direction, but that was neither here nor there). And now he thought about it, this was neither Rio’s couch or her bed. Cracking open his eyes, he tried to find the source of the voice. Seeing Asano, of all people, coffee in one hand and newspaper in the other, smirk plastered on his face, Karma groaned.

“Fuck me.”

“Been there, done that.” A slight pause. “Wouldn’t mind doing it again, to be honest.”

Karma smothered his groan with a pillow.

—

Rio was already at his apartment when he arrived after lunch (she’d left twelve messages, and had become irritated with the lack of response). He now knew the meaning of the walk of shame, but the blonde made it extra worse with her teasing and the forced viewing of last night’s photos (all captioned, thanks to Hazama). She was nice, occasionally teasing, for the first hour. Then she got serious.

“Soooooo~ How was last night?”

Karma decided to take a shower and didn’t come out until he knew she was gone.

—

“Are you stalking me?” It was a fair question. Asano had shown up at his university (“he doesn’t even go here!”), at his favourite coffee shop (Karma knows the taller man only drinks tea), at the movie theatres, at the bank at the grocery store at the beach at the EVERYWHERE that Asano never used to go but Karma has ALWAYS gone.  
“Please, you weren’t _that_ good.” Karma spluttered, turning red, partly embarrassed, mostly pissed.

“People change, Akabane.” The orange haired man grabbed his items before putting something into Karma’s hand. “I can teach you. Just let me know the time and place.”  
Karma was confused. “Teach me what?”  
“How to actually be good~”

This time when his face parodied a tomato, he was just pissed.

—

The fact that Asano was a dick didn’t stop him setting up a time and date.While he was slightly irritated about Asano’s comments (he didn’t think it’d matter if he was a girl; he just didn’t like being _average_ at things and that stung his pride), the fact that the other was so carefree about everything made him frustrated. Karma hadn’t stopped thinking about Asano.

For the most part he just wondered what type of game the genius was playing.That was a legitimate reason, right? It was the excuse he told Rio (and Nagisa, and Kayano, Hazama, Itona, Isogai and everyone else who somehow fucking found out). Mostly he just wondered what Asano thought of him, _if_ he thought about him. Cuz Karma thought about him _all the god damn time._

Karma didn’t get any answers when he visited Gakushuu in his stupidly fancy apartment. Not the first time, or the second time, or the third time. He did have a _really_ good time though. Gakushuu happily remarked that his ‘lessons’ were paying off. Karma wanted to punch him in the face, but if he split the other man’s lip it’d be difficult to kiss him later, so he settled with putting wasabi in Gakushuu’s coffee the next morning.

—

Eventually, Karma got tired of calling and messaging. Gakushuu had been quite shocked to find all of Karma’s things in his house when he came home after a weekend business trip. Karma had shrugged, “This place is huge. It’s not like I’m taking anything away from you.”

(Karma tried to tell Rio (who then told everyone else) that Asano’s place was closer to his university, it was fancy, rent free and-  
“You get to have a “good time” whenever you want, huh?”  
Karma didn’t grace her with an answer.)

—

If you’d told Akabane Karma on his 20th birthday that he’d be waking up a year later in the exact same place, and be _happy_ about it, he’d have laughed and beaten the shit out you.

Asano had kept the drinks to a minimum last night, but Karma had been too enthralled with the expensive, custom made promise ring he’d been given to really give a damn. Snuggling into Asano’s arms, waking for his boyfriend to wake up, he simply couldn’t imagine things any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Future  
> Inspired by this [post](https://gabrielthetricksterarchangel.tumblr.com/post/143378511547/otp-prompt). Third one written.  
> Goal was 1,500; total 1,500.


	8. Promise

“You realise you weren’t invited for a reason, right Akabane?”  
“I realise that your fiancé is incredible rude and can’t follow social etiquette, yes.”

Chiba sighed and shrugged. It’d been a silly spat between the two (100% Karma’s fault, which he gleefully admitted), but not inviting him had been the only way Hayami could get back at the devil (she’d already made sure there was extra food and a seat for him, knowing he wouldn’t listen and admitting it would suck without the full class there - “he’ll probably crash the wedding so we should be prepared”). Hayami wouldn’t be that pissed as long as the redhead kept his mouth shut, so as long as he could get a few people to keep an eye on his former classmate, things would be fine. Nagisa escorted Karma out and to his spot (“ _please_ don’t cause trouble!”) before finishing the things he had to do.

The wedding started around noon. Being Chiba and Hayami, it was brief, sophisticated and went off without a hitch. Chiba hadn’t pinned his still stupidly long hair back (Karma muttered that he only had eyes for his bride so it didn’t really matter that nobody else could see them, making Nagisa, Isogai and Maehara chuckle) and wore a simple suit; Hayami looked like she came out of a bridal magazine, petite, confident and glowing.

As much as the wedding was fun, the reception was _really_ where it was at. Karma made his apologies to the bride before sabotaging Okajima’s attempts to even flirt with anyone, let alone get any further. Okajima bought him some drinks, getting the redhead drunk enough to _sit still and leave him the hell alone_. Karma whined to the bartender to keep the drinks coming - “if I can’t tease people, it’s pointless being here. I want to go hooome~”.

It wasn’t too long before the redhead left ‘drunk’ far behind him. Deciding that now would be a good time to go home, he tried stumbling out of the venue, only to bump into someone. _A very nice smelling someone_ , he thought absently, taking note of the super soft button up his face was smushed against.

“Akabane?”  
Looking up, he beamed. _Entertainment!_ “A-sa-no! How have you _been_?” Asano looked around, hoping someone would save him from his irritatingly clingy, obnoxious, drunk rival. “Why are you here?”  
“I do business with Chiba. Not that it’s your concern.”  
“You weren’t at the reception.”  
“I’m a busy man.”  
“A _boring_ man.”

Karma wasn’t listening, already prattling on about nonsense. Asano subtly tried to peel the other off him, without success. Nagisa, seeing the commotion, came over to rescue Asano. Or so he thought.

“Asano-kun, Chiba saw you. He’s happy that you came.” Asano tried to interrupt, but Nagisa kept talking. “But see, we’re a little worried about Karma… We don’t want… things to get out of hand. Do you think you could get him out of here? He already irritated Hayami, he wasn’t even meant to _be_ here, so would you mind..?”

Asano was pissed. He hadn’t wanted to come. He didn’t give a damn which of his business partners got hitched. Social etiquette said he had to come. He wanted to tell etiquette to go fuck itself. Now he was getting stuck with his former rival, who was still as obnoxious and annoying as ever and drunk to top it off. Where the redhead’s best friend was already thanking him and darting back to the party to enjoy the rest of the night.

Sighing he looked down at Karma. With Karma half leaning on him, looking up, they were practically nose to nose. “I guess I don’t have a choice, do I?”  
“Nope~ Let’s enjoy tonight, Second Place~”

—

Akabane didn’t pass out until 4am. Asano had even given the redhead twice the recommended dosage of sleeping tablets though the drunk had waved them off like they were nothing, talking and going through all his things like it was his god given right or something. Asano didn’t go to sleep at all, needing to be at work by 6am (he vaguely sense of pity for his colleagues, but figured if they were competent enough he wouldn’t be at work on a Sunday anyway, so it really was their own fault).

Karma woke up alone. _Unfamiliar bed, unfamiliar apartment and no hickeys or aches._ He wondered who had taken him home (and was kind enough not to take advantage of him) and just where the hell _home_ was. But first things first - breakfast. The fridge was huge and fully stocked, letting him make a ridiculous amount of food (which he didn’t end up finishing, oops).

It wasn’t until he got home that he noticed a screwed up piece of paper in his back pocket (after his cherished phone went through the wash, _everything_ was doubled checked before the machine was turned on). He couldn’t quite make out the signatures on the bottom (one was his - he obviously hadn’t taken it seriously since there were devil horns over his name, but the other honestly just looked like scribbles), but it appeared to be a contract. A marriage contract.

“If you, Akabane Karma, manage to go to the moon and bring me back some moon rocks, I will marry you.”

Karma had had some weird conversations when drunk before, but _this_ definitely took first prize. _Moon rocks, huh?_ _Guess I’m not getting married any time soon then._

—

Or so he thought.

“Are you for real though?”  
His boss frowned, irritated that such a fresh subordinate was speaking to him so casually. “Yes, I am. Now get back to work.”

It turns out Karma was going to the moon. Something about the world governments wanting to check things out and making sure Shiro and his team hadn’t put any weird shit up in space. Karma, with his E Class experience, knew a little about fighting monsters (and also space but Karasuma told him to _keep quiet_ because we _totally did not steal a spaceship and threaten astronauts Akabane that’s nonsense)_ , so theoretically, if shit hit the fan, he was able to protect the others going up with him. Karma wasn’t too sure about that (survival of the fittest and all, plus he was only looking out for number one) but hey, free trip to space and still getting paid to go to work. Nice.

_And moon rocks. Can’t forget the moon rocks._

—

He’d told Nagisa about the contract but Nagisa had said he didn’t know who the other signature belonged to. Obviously, his friend was lying but at the time, Karma didn’t know he was heading to space, so who really cared? When Karma returned, showing Nagisa the jar with moon rocks (that really looked no different to ordinary rocks), the smaller of the two lost it. Easing out of his hysterics, Nagisa looked Karma in the eye.

“The one who took you home from Chiba and Hayami’s wedding was Asano-kun.”

Karma almost dropped the jar (but despite the fact they looked like rocks, they were difficult to obtain and might even beef up his bank account if he sold them right). Nagisa laughed again, so Karma tripped him at the ankles and left in a huff. From outside the small apartment, he could still hear the other’s laughter.

—

It had taken a while, but he’d received formal identification for his rocks. It had taken even longer, but he’d finally been able to find a buyer. _Because I’m_ not _giving them to Asano and we’re_ not _getting married!_ His classmates had thought the entire thing was hilarious (if a little twisted) and Rio liked to declare it was ‘destiny that two asshats marry’.

As luck would have it, Karma’s buyer decided to try and haggle. Irritated, he left in a huff. He hadn’t flown from Tokyo to Vegas to deal with some dickhead wanting to buy rocks on the cheap. _Fucking go to space and get them yourself, asshole._ He was drunk, clutching a jar of rocks, so most people left him alone. But Asano Gakushuu was not most people.

“I would have thought you’d learnt your lesson about over drinking, Akabane.”  
“YOU!” Asano didn’t startle easily, but Akabane was drunk, looking worse for wear and desperately trying to find something. “You wrote this!”  
Asano chuckled, seeing the contract. “Indeed. Trying to find some moon rocks to sweep me off my feet?”  
It was Karma’s turn to smirk. “Why would I try to find something I already have?”

Launching into the story, Karma took great pleasure in watching Asano’s face drop, his posture slip and his facade crumble into tiny little pieces. He even gave the taller man Nagisa’s number so he could confirm the story. He had all the correct paperwork and the jar right in front of him. Asano couldn’t deny _shit._

“So, your choice, _babe_. We either get married _or_ you break a binding, legal contract. What do you want to do?”

Asano seemed to stop, as though he’d just had a meltdown. Karma could see his mind was racing but things weren’t clicking and he was _desperately_ trying to find a way out of this stupid, _stupid_ mess he’d gotten himself into. When he finally rebooted, Karma couldn’t help but smirk, happy with his victory. “I think I need a drink…”

—

So drink they did. Karma lorded it over Asano and Asano tried to convince Akabane there were other avenues they could take. Karma had enough fame and fortune of his own, so he really didn’t need Asano’s help in anything. “You’ve got your options. Don’t take too long in choosing them, okay~?”

Ten drinks too many and they were in a small chapel, getting married. Karma was still clutching those _god damn rocks_ and Asano wasn’t sure if he wanted to smash the jar or the devil’s smirking face more. Afterwards, celebratory drinks (according to Karma; Asano was drowning his sorrows, already hating married life).

—

The next morning had been difficult for the both of them. Karma took some pills for the pain in his back while Asano nursed his hangover. Karma had tried to make things better. “Um, you can have the rocks, if you want…” Asano gave a weird twitchy shrug.

They returned to Japan separately, Karma still clutching his jar, a little more sadly now.

—

Eventually Asano called him. “To talk.”

Karma had agreed. After all, they were legally married but hadn’t spoken in half a year. That was weird. Their love lives were in some weird type of limbo and Karma spent his days angrily kicking whatever rocks he could find or moping (but he _really_ did _not_ love Asano, that was such a stupid thought!).

When Asano said they’d ‘talk’, Karma had thought they’d talk. Maybe not like reasonable adults, because they were rivals and stubborn and this situation was _so weird_ , but he did expect talking. The redhead didn’t expect to walk into Asano’s stupidly plush apartment and find the other man on bended knee, suited up, ring box in hand.

“If we’re going to do this, we… it should be done properly.”

Karma didn’t know if he wanted to throw up, throw something or cry. Asano’s face told him the other felt the same.

—

Six months later (because Asano Gakushuu was nothing if not efficient) they had their wedding in a large church in Tokyo (Gakushuu had absolutely refused to let them get married at Disneyland, but said ‘maybe’ when Karma asked if it was possible for their vow renewals, so he’d take that as a win). Everyone was honestly still a bit miffed at the whole situation.

“If it’s those two, a little weirdness can’t be helped.” Neither were sure if that was a compliment or an insult.

They’d decided to end their honeymoon in Vegas, where this rather pleasant mess got it’s start. But most of the trip was spent in Hawaii, relaxing. Everything was super perfect and relaxing and neither could be happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based off a few prompts from [here](http://onetruepairingideas.tumblr.com/post/122213064408/a-bunch-of-weddingengangement-themed-prompts)  
> I don’t know what marriage in Vegas is like. It certainly wouldn’t be legal in Japan though (might possible be in Shibuya and a few other wards/prefectures that are opening up to gay couples, but idk). This is mostly crack.  
> Goal: 1,500; total was 2,000.


End file.
